


Swimming In It

by havisham



Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha Matsuoka Rin, Alpha Yamazaki Sousuke, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Awkward Dates, Fear of Discovery, Friends to Lovers, Ft. Haru and Sousuke's Unfriendship, Ill-Thought Out Sex Bans, M/M, Misunderstandings, Secret Relationship, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 16:02:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9664562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/pseuds/havisham
Summary: This isn't supposed to happen -- Rin shouldn't be falling for his best friend and fellow alpha, Sousuke. But when did his life go exactly as he planned?(Or: Rin falls in love and grows up a bit, during his last year at Samezuka.)





	

“Your boyfriend’s mean,” said a giggly omega -- a hopelessly bold first year -- as he slid a lunch tray across the table to where Rin was sitting. He was about to sit when Rin’s forbidding look gave him pause. 

The year before, Rin had eaten lunch with either Ai or Mikoshiba, or else alone. This year, he ate with Sousuke, mostly, and despite his invitations for Ai to come over to eat with them, the younger boy had never taken him up on the offer. 

For all else, however, Rin hoped that he gave off a powerful, don't-fuck-with-me vibe that usually kept random flirts at bay. Not this time, however. But the boy seemed like he was regretting his boldness, and visibly wilted under Rin’s glare. 

“I don't have a boyfriend,” Rin said, taking a finishing bite of his apple.

“That's not what the rumors say!” 

“What are you talking about?” 

But the boy had already fled, metaphorical tail between his legs. Sousuke slid into the seat in front of Rin a minute or so later, an annoyed look on his face. His tray was maybe overfilled with food, with double portions of tonkatsu. 

Rin raised his eyebrow. “Are you sure you have enough?” 

Sousuke flushed. “Shut up. I'm a growing boy and besides --” he sighed and looked a little pained. “My appetite’s always high at this time of the month.” 

Rin nodded, Sousuke was nearing his rut -- everything was _elevated_ then.

Despite his five-year absence, he had not been surprised to see that Sousuke had presented as an alpha. His friend was in a lot of ways the classic alpha; the kind that showed up in health pamphlets and TV spots -- broad and handsome, coolly confident and ridiculously fit. 

If Rin hadn't known Sousuke from childhood on, he thought that it would be easy to resent him: Sousuke was so much so the alpha that Rin never could be. 

It had been one of the most bittersweet things in Rin’s life when he had presented as an alpha, shortly after transferring to Samezuka. He'd felt out of control and so, so angry -- at what, he couldn't even articulate in the privacy in his own mind. He _wanted_ to be an Olympian! It only helped him that he was an alpha, since most high-level sports were weighted to an alpha’s advantage anyway. 

But still there was always this niggling feeling at the back of his mind that he wasn't _enough_ of an alpha. That he didn’t fit the image, that he was _lacking_ , somehow. He dealt with this in the same way he had with his name -- the best way to deal with his insecurity was to get out ahead of it. He told the world loudly and proudly that he was exactly who he was and would always be. 

“Uh, Rin-Rin? I hope you don't space out this much when you're swimming or you’re going to drown,” Sousuke said, kicking at Rin’s leg gently. 

Rin snapped out of it and growled, “Don't call me that!” 

Sousuke smiled at him, and that smile transformed his face from almost-sullen and dark to lighthearted and joyous. It was familiar, but still Rin loved it, seeing it. 

He felt a warm feeling at the bottom of his stomach, an uneasy sort of pleasure that he wasn't sure he wanted to examine. He liked it when Sousuke smiled at him, when Sousuke touched him, even the friendly fistbumps they had now set a little shock through his system. 

But he knew -- alphas didn't go with other alphas. They just _didn't_ \-- and those few that did were rebuffed for straying outside the norms of expected alpha behavior. And there was no way on Earth that Rin would ever let Sousuke know how he felt. He valued their friendship way too much for that.

“I'm tired,” Rin said at last, looking away. 

“Hmm? Haven't been sleeping well?” 

“No. Your loud snoring is keeping me awake. Do you think Ai will switch back with me?” 

“What a horrible liar you are, Rin,” said Sousuke calmly, taking a bite of his cutlet. “I don't snore. Ask any of my old roommates.” 

“Ugh,” Rin grumbled, stealing a piece of tonkatsu before Sousuke could eat it. He popped it into his mouth and laughed at Sousuke’s crestfallen expression. 

*

That weekend, Rin insisted on taking both Sousuke and Gou for a movie and dinner. His weekly stipend barely covered the costs of both, but he longed for something like this, a chance to reaffirm his oldest bonds. He and Sousuke got ready without talking much and left the dorms -- but not before Rin had a chance to tell a wide-eyed Momo to behave himself in his absence. 

“How likely is that?” Sousuke asked him as he waited at the bottom of the stairs. 

“About zero percent,” Rin said. “But as long as I'm miles away when that damn beetle gets loose…” 

He stuck his hands into his pockets and shrugged. Trying to be subtle about it, he checked out what Sousuke was wearing. 

As usual, it was slightly conservative -- like something an office worker dad would wear in the weekends. Sousuke didn't have much of a choice with that, really -- trendier clothes were usually too small for him, a fact that Rin, after several shopping trips with Sousuke, could personally attest. 

He still looked so good though, despite the chinos and the button-down. Rin sniffed the air and though he smelled something slightly spicy, heady with a hint of danger, like a whiff of wood-smoke. “Are you trying a new cologne?” 

“No?” Sousuke said, holding open the door. Rin shrugged and went through. 

*

Gou was waiting for them at the train station, so excited that she was bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her face lit up when she spotted them and waved. “Onii-chan! Sousuke-kun! Over here!” 

She hugged them both as soon as they were close enough, squeezing their biceps as she did so. Rin shot her a suspicious look but Gou only looked back at him innocently. She looked cute, dressed as she was in a pretty yellow dress, and with the flowers Sousuke had given her in her arms. She smelled sweet and warm, like home, and Rin found himself looking back at her fondly. 

“Thank you for the flowers,” she was saying to Sousuke, as she took his arm. 

“Why aren't you thanking me?” Rin complained, “I was the one who told him that purple anemones were your favorite!” 

“Thank _you_ , Onii-chan, for gracing us with your presence,” Gou said, a sparkle of mischief in her eye. 

Rin smiled and let Sousuke and Gou walk on ahead of him, catching up on gossip about their old middle-school friends. They looked good together, Rin realized with a jolt that felt both like jealousy and pride. The fact was confirmed by an elderly couple that crossed in between him and them. 

“It's nice to see a young couple like that,” said the old woman said, nudging her husband. “You never bring me flowers!” 

“Neither do you!” he said indignantly. 

Rin laughed as he jogged past them. Gou and Sousuke were waiting him at the platform. Gou took him and Sousuke by the arm as they entered the train and sighed contentedly. “You two have the most gorgeous muscles!” 

“Eh, Gou, don’t,” Rin whined. “I feel like a piece of meat when you go on about gorgeous muscles like that!” 

“Sousuke-kun doesn’t mind,” Gou said reproachfully. “Do you?” 

“I think Rin’s muscles are pretty good,” Sousuke said with a smile. 

“But not as good as yours, huh?” said Rin, kicking him as Sousuke snickered. 

*

At the movie theater, they had three choices for what to watch: a horror movie, a romantic comedy and a wartime drama. “They’ve rebooted _Blades of Death_ again?” Rin said, looking at the movie poster of a figure skating in a pool of blood. “It looks horrible. Let’s watch it.” 

“No, we should watch _Winds of Love_ ,” Gou said, “I heard there were some … _scenes_ …” 

“No way! I’m not watching _scenes_ with you!” Rin said hotly. 

They both looked at Sousuke, who shrugged. “Why don’t you two play for it?” 

Rin shot Gou a sharp glance and she gave him a hard one in return. Unlike Sousuke, whose moves were easy enough to predict (which was why Rin won every game of janken they had ever played, and definitely not because Sousuke let him win, _whatever Sousuke said_ ) -- but Gou was a whole other story. 

She was swift and merciless -- rock beat scissors. 

*

The movie was not as terrible as Rin had feared. After the first forty minutes or so he relaxed into his seat, snatching a piece of candy from Gou and popping it into his mouth. Gou gave him a look of annoyance, but said nothing. She was sitting in between Rin and Sousuke. Sousuke had stretched out his arm on top of the seats and his aim was that Rin could feel the accidental brush of his hand through his hair. 

Accidentally, he thought, until it happened again. He felt a tickle of fingers against the nape of his neck, caressing for a moment before they were gone. Rin shot Sousuke a quick glance, but Sousuke was absorbed by what was happening on the screen. 

Sousuke’s hand lingered at the back of Rin’s neck for several minutes. Rin leaned against it for a moment and closed his eyes. For a moment, everything narrowed to the feeling of Sousuke’s fingers caressing the back of his neck. 

It felt so good that Rin almost groaned in pleasure, but stopped himself in time. Instead he shot an accusing look at Sousuke, who caught his dark look and smiled. 

*

Two hours later and Rin was destroyed. “I can’t believe they couldn’t be together -- it’s so _stupid_ , I hate it --” 

Sousuke gave him a narrow look. “Oi. Are you crying?” 

“No!” Rin said quickly, brushing off the tears from his face. “Just because I’m just not a robot like you!” 

“ _Onii-chan_ ,” Gou said, leaning against him heavily. “I’m hungry.” 

They swung by a noodle place and got dinner, hurrying as they did so since Gou’s curfew was nearing. They brought her home afterward and she let them go with a promise that they would do this again, soon, maybe after exams were over. 

After the bus ride to Samezuka, Rin and Sousuke walked through the wooded area near the dorms. Rin checked his watch and saw that there was still some time before the doors locked for the night. He leaned against the tree and eyed Sousuke speculatively. 

He'd taken off his shirt during their walk and wore a thin t-shirt instead. Rin could see the deep crease of Sousuke’s collarbone, his throat, his Adam’s apple, rising and falling as he breathed in deep-- 

“Hey,” Sousuke said urgently and leaned in and Rin looked up, expectantly, when Sousuke kissed him. It was a short kiss, over before it could really begin, but it snapped something in Rin entirely. Maybe it was his patience, or his restraint. He grabbed the front of Sousuke’s shirt and pulled him closer, inhaled the rich scent of him. 

Rin’s heart was pounding hard in his chest. He stared up at Sousuke, who looked back at him, his blue-green eyes shadowed. “Is this what you want?” Rin asked, hating how uncertain his voice sounded. 

“Rin,” Sousuke said, his voice low and intense, the sound of which made Rin’s stomach buzz with delight, “I don't want anything else.” 

Fuck. Rin wanted to have him right there, but he was acutely aware of the thin cover of trees that separated them from the dorms, of the night watchman who could blunder into them at any moment. Never had their tiny dorm room seemed so attractive. Besides…

He took out his phone from his pocket and swore. A minute to eleven. They were going to get trapped outside when the doors closed. He grabbed Sousuke by the hand and pulled him away. 

“We’re going to get locked out!” he said to Sousuke’s puzzled face. 

They jogged towards the back door, but there was an electric buzz as soon as they approached and neither of their IDs cards worked to open it. Rin started to dial Ai’s number before he could really think about. What if he was already asleep? After rooming with him, Rin knew Ai was kind of a night owl, but… 

Before he could regret it, the call had already gone through and Ai had picked up before even a full second of ringing. “Rin-senpai! What's wrong?” 

“Ai, hey, I'm stuck outside the back door. Could you come here and open it for me?” Rin asked, picking a leaf that was stuck in Sousuke’s hair. Sousuke made a face at him and Rin made a face back. 

“Of course!” Ai said, sounding breathless, like he had scrabbled out of bed. “Is Yamazaki-senpai with you?” 

“Yeah.” 

“All right, I'll be there in a minute.” 

Ai was good to his word. In a minute or so, he was at the top of the stairs and a few seconds after that he was pushing open the door. 

“Thank you,” said Rin and Sousuke in a chorus and Rin reached out and ruffled Ai’s already tousled hair. “I hope I didn't wake you.” 

Ai shook his head. “I was just reading in bed. Is there anything I can do for you, Rin-senpai? Yamazaki-senpai?” 

“No,” Sousuke said before Rin had a chance to. His voice was flat and his face looked a little forbidding, which didn't make sense to Rin until he realized -- coming from Ai there was a faint but definite smell of an unclaimed omega, sweet and powdery. Did Sousuke want…? 

Or did he think _Rin_ wanted…? 

Well, Rin decided, jealousy was bullshit. Ai was his friend and one of the only people who had willingly put up with all his issues the past year. Sousuke would have to learn to share. Thinking this, Rin thanked Ai again and headed for his rooms. The beginning of a headache began to creep around his vision. 

Sousuke walked behind him, silent. 

They didn't talk when they were getting ready for bed either. Rin went out to brush his teeth, but when he came back, Sousuke wasn’t in the room. Rin waited for a few minutes, checked his messages. Nothing. 

Feeling like an idiot for getting his hopes up like this, Rin crawled into bed and went to sleep. Sometime later, he heard the door open and the hallway light spill in. He stayed still, pretending to be asleep as Sousuke’s shadow passed in front of him and paused. He smelled of body wash and the unmistakable tang of chlorine, so no guesses for what he had been doing.

Rin wanted nothing more than to grab Sousuke and drag him to his bed, teach him a thing or two about respect, about making promises that he could keep. 

But instead, he was still and Sousuke climbed the ladder to his bunk, the frame squeaking under his weight. Rin lay awake under him for a while, listening, wondering how he had managed to fuck up his oldest friendship in such a short time. 

*

They didn’t talk about it. 

They swam, instead. Worked on homework. Ate lunch together. Talked about inconsequential things. Everything was how it was supposed to be, except for the thing they couldn’t seem to talk about. 

Rin did notice that Sousuke had softened his attitude towards Ai, without him having to interfere. One night, Rin had gone to the pool, a banana and a bottle of water in hand for Ai, and saw Sousuke coaching the younger swimmer. 

Pride and happiness swelled up inside Rin. This was what he wanted -- what he _needed_ \-- for his friends to love each other, for Sousuke to be -- Well. For him to be as tied up in Rin’s circle of friends as he himself was. That way Rin wouldn’t have to worry about losing touch with him again. Was that selfish? 

Probably so, but Rin still wanted it.

He went back to his room and put himself to work on his essay for English. He was still up when Sousuke sauntered in through the door. 

“You're in a good mood,” Rin said, not looking up from his laptop. 

Sousuke made a noncommittal grunt and began to undress. Rin knew that roommate etiquette dictated that he should look at anything but Sousuke at the moment, but he had never been the sort to observe those little courtesies -- at least not with Sousuke.

Rin powered down his laptop and put it away and looked over to Sousuke, who was still shirtless, although now he was a pair of low-slung sleep pants. The crease of his pelvic muscle made Rin’s mouth go dry. He swallowed harshly and decided to go for it. 

“Sousuke,” he said. 

Sousuke, pulling a t-shirt over his head and pulling it down across his stomach -- Rin groaned internally -- paused for a moment and looked at him. “What’s going on, Rin?” 

“Were you … messing with me when you kissed me before?” Rin felt stupid as soon as he said it. What did he expect Sousuke to say? If he said yes, Rin would be forced to laugh it off, to pretend he had taken it as a joke too. But if he said no… 

“No,” Sousuke said, and began to climb up the ladder to his bed. 

“H-Hey! You can’t just say that and then go to bed!” Rin said, getting up so quickly that he banged his head against the top of the bunk. He scrambled out, swearing loudly and colorfully, and his temper did not improve to see Sousuke leaning against the metal bars of his bed. Sousuke gave him an annoyed, heavy-lidded look, which did nothing to put Rin off. 

“Idiot! So why didn’t you… _do_ anything,” Rin said, feeling himself go red and hot. 

Sousuke looked at him curiously. “Why didn’t you? Are you scared?” 

“Don’t make me go up there and show how I not-scared I am!” Rin said hotly, clambering up the ladder. 

“Smooth, Rin,” Sousuke said, with a chuckle. But he wasn’t laughing when Rin got to the top of ladder and launched himself at him. The bed swayed dangerously with their combined weight, the metal protesting as Rin wiggled closer to Sousuke, trying to peel the shirt off him. 

Sousuke batted him away, saying, “Stop that. The bed will collapse.” 

“Do I look scared now,” Rin said, kissing Sousuke’s neck. He felt Sousuke’s pulse flutter against his skin and wanted to bite at it. But he should probably restrain himself. 

Sousuke heaved a great, shuddering sigh. “If you want to stop, now’s the time to to do it. Rin, listen -- I won’t mind.” 

“I want to. I’ve wanted to for _months_. I thought since we both presented as alphas, you wouldn’t want to,” Rin said, biting his lip.

“I only date other alphas,” Sousuke said, putting his hands under his head, an affectedly casual gesture that Rin saw right through. Still, he grabbed Sousuke’s pillow and whipped it at his head, which Sousuke laugh with a laugh. 

“What other alphas have you been dating? Better not be anyone here,” Rin said. He knew he was acting like a brat, but Sousuke sometimes indulged him. And he was pleased when Sousuke shook his head. 

“I did back in Tokitsu. Besides, I’m not the only one. What about you and Nanase?” 

“Haru and I?” Rin said blankly. His relationship with Haru was already so complicated, he didn’t know what would happen if they had introduced sex or romance into it. It would either have exploded in their faces or -- they would’ve taken over the world. “I don’t even know if he’s presented or not. Besides, Makoto’s got that on lock.”

“So you did consider it, at least,” Sousuke said thoughtfully. 

“Nope,” Rin said, breezily. “I prefer big dumb guys with muscles.” 

“Thanks for making an exception for me, then,” Sousuke said with a smirk. 

“Hah, that's funny because you happen to be the _biggest_ , _dumbest_ idiot I've ever--” Rin pushed himself in between Sousuke’s legs and took out his cock. It was already hard and _big_ , which didn't surprise him -- he saw Sousuke’s cock in the locker room almost every day, after all -- but it was more impressive than ever. Sousuke was breathing hard against Rin’s ear and moaned when Rin closed his hand around his cock and began stroke it. 

“ _Rin_ ,” Sousuke said, his voice so deep and hot that Rin wished there were more syllables in his name, just so Sousuke would keep talking. He picked up his pace, just to hear Sousuke’s breathing quicken. Sousuke’s arms were locked around his waist, he was fixed and yet…

Pre-come was dribbling out from Sousuke’s slit and Rin swiped the top of it with his thumb. He brought his thumb up to Sousuke’s lips and pressed against him. Eyes blazing, Sousuke opened his mouth and sucked on Rin’s thumb. 

He came a few minutes later, splattering across Rin’s hand, but he licked that off too. Rin laughed at the dazed look on Sousuke’s face when it was over. 

“You had the biggest, the dumbest cock I've ever--” he began to say, but Sousuke kissed him quiet. 

*

After that, they started fucking everywhere. The bottom bunk in their dorm room was what they preferred, but Momo (or Ai, chasing after Momo) had a bad habit of bursting in whenever they liked, and a locked door did nothing to stop them from banging on it, pleading to be let in. All that drew attention and after the first couple of times, Rin had had enough. 

The locker room and the showers attached to it were other, obvious places, but that too had risks. Samezuka was a swimming powerhouse for a reason -- there wasn't an hour in the day there weren't at least some people in the locker room or showering. It was possible to get in a sneaky handjob when no one was looking, but that was hardly satisfying. 

Rin found himself thinking of what would happen after graduation. Would Sousuke be willing to go to Australia with him? He was talented enough to get scouted there too. Or maybe Rin could stay, attend the same university Sousuke was going to, swim in the same team as him. They'd finally been able to get past the obstacles in swimming that had confounded them when they were younger, and Rin was excited to talk about the future. 

Sousuke, frustratingly, was not. 

They were holed up in a pool’s boiler room, Rin’s jammers puddled around his ankles, Sousuke’s mouth hot and wet against Rin’s cock. 

“ _Sousuke,_ you're not listening,” Rin whined, grabbing a handful of Sousuke’s hair and pulling up his head. Sousuke let Rin’s cock fall from his mouth and glared at him. 

“Why are you trying to talk about the future when I'm trying to blow you?” 

“Isn't not like we have lots of time alone together,” Rin huffed, embarrassed. “I'm trying to multitask.” 

“You're bad at it,” Sousuke said, swallowing down his cock again. 

“ _Asshole_ ,” Rin muttered, as Sousuke’s throat flexed against his cock and he almost cried. 

*

It was supposed to a hangout, with the Iwatobi swim team and Rin and Sousuke. Rin had spent almost the whole joint-practice session with Iwatobi trying to convince Sousuke to come with them. Sousuke could be stubborn as hell when he wanted to be, but Rin could leverage his influence pretty well. 

“You don't go out with us, and we won't have sex for a week,” he said to Sousuke, voice low enough that no one else heard him. 

Sousuke pouted at him, which was terrifyingly cute -- Rin could not tell him this -- and said, “You think you can last that long?” 

“You wanna bet that I can't?” 

And that was how Sousuke ended up going with them. 

Unfortunately, Rei and Nagisa had to go home early from practice -- Nagisa’s parents were taking him to the city to see a play and Rei’s grandmother was visiting from out of town. They said goodbye at the entrance to Samezuka. Rin half-expected Makoto and Haru also make their excuses and leave -- and Haru looked like he was working up to it -- but Makoto had this determined look in his eye. 

They were going out, it seemed, as a foursome. 

*

After an evening spent wandering around the main shopping district -- Rin had bought two new tank-tops, and a shirt he thought probably would fit Sousuke. (Not that he had Sousuke’s neck measurements memorized or anything like that…) 

Sousuke provided no input on the shirt, preferring to sit on a bench outside, texting. Haru was also nowhere to be seen, but when Rin asked Makoto about it, he didn’t seem too worried about it. 

“Are you sure he’s not going to jump into the fountain?” Rin said, texting Sousuke to come to the door. Makoto, who had been looking at some pants, paled a little at the thought. 

But when they got to the fountain, Haru was sitting beside it, not in swimming in it. He looked at them coolly as they approached. “I’m hungry.” 

“Okay,” Rin said, looking up the closest restaurants that were still open. 

“Don’t pick a restaurant that doesn’t serve mackerel,” Haru warned him. 

“Got it.” 

*

 

Halfway through the meal, Rin got up to get more water and napkins. Without him asking, Makoto got up too and helped him out. Coming back to the table, Rin saw that Haru and Sousuke were ignoring each other, like a pair of cats trying to occupy the same spot on the same perch without acknowledging the other one’s existence. 

It was funny, and yet…

“I wish they’d get along,” Rin said with a sigh. 

“Yeah, I think -- something might’ve happened that day at the Splash Fest. Haru won’t tell me exactly what but --” Makoto shrugged. 

“Probably Sousuke being an overprotective idiot,” Rin said, trying not to sound as fond as he knew he did. Makoto heard it too, and gave him a considering look. Makoto was pretty sharp, especially when it came to other people. Rin met his gaze and gave him a little smile, not wanting to either confirm or deny. 

His hands full, Makoto bumped his hips against Rin’s as they walked back to the table. 

“You could’ve waited for the waitress,” Haru said, immediately reaching for the water jug that Rin set down. 

“Hey! Don’t do that --” Sousuke said, reaching out for the same jug. 

It went flying, the line of water hitting Makoto across the chest. Makoto immediately took off his shirt, and squeezed the water out. They might have not been kicked out of the restaurant if Haru hadn’t launched himself across the table to catch the water, but at that point, it was hard to tell. 

*

After exchanging awkward goodbyes with Makoto and Haru, Rin and Sousuke headed back to Samezuka. Sousuke leaned against Rin, heavily, and said, “Hey, I kept my end of the bargain.” 

“Huh? What bargain?” Rin said, with a half-smile. “You were fighting with Haru the entire time. Don’t think I didn’t notice.” 

“Nanase doesn’t concern me, he never has,” Sousuke said flatly. “And I wouldn’t call that fighting.” 

“And what _would_ you call fighting?” Rin said, deliberately stepping into Sousuke’s trap. 

“I think you know,” Sousuke said, hooking his thumbs on belt loops of Rin’s pants and reeling him in. 

“I won’t go easy on you,” Rin warned him, with a smile. 

They barely made it back to their room -- and didn’t make without getting caught. Rin could’ve sworn the stairwell was empty when he turned to Sousuke and pushed him against the wall. Sousuke leaned down and they kissed. It was a good kiss, a promising one, but then Rin heard a quiet gasp and looked up to see Ai staring down at them from the head of the stairs. 

Rin pulled away from Sousuke with a sigh and said, “Ai…” 

“Don’t worry!” Ai said quickly. “Rin-senpai, Yamazaki-senpai! I am sorry for blundering in like this --” 

“You can call me Sousuke,” Sousuke said, sounding a little amused. Ai flushed a deep red and nodded. 

“T-thank you, Sousuke-senpai. Please don’t worry about me, my discretion is assured. And I think you two are very well-suited!” Ai gave them a quick bow and then scrambled away. 

Rin and Sousuke looked at each other and burst out laughing. 

*

It was a rule that Rin, as swim captain, had inherited from Mikoshiba: from prefecturals to (hopefully) nationals, all members of the swim team were forbidden to have any kind of sexual contact, with themselves or with others. The captain himself certainly fell under that ban. 

This part Mikoshiba had underlined in red in the captain’s notes. 

The year before, Rin hadn’t had much trouble obeying the ban. He'd had a few weird dreams featuring multiple members of the Iwatobi swim team, true, and one memorable one about Mikoshiba himself, but none of that had messed with himself in any way that mattered. This year, however, was completely different. Sousuke was making it very hard to observe the ban, though he didn't give any outward sign that he was struggling. 

He just -- he was shirtless more often than strictly necessary. He lounged, with intent. He would glance at Rin with those languorous, heavy-lidded eyes and Rin would drop his training menus. 

“You have to stop doing this,” Rin hissed at him during practice. Sousuke, the swine, looked surprised. 

“Doing what? I'm just observing the sex ban, per the rules of the Samezuka swim team, as laid out by our illustrious captain.” 

“Sousuke, you're so _mean_ ,” Rin whined. “You know I can't change it. It's the tradition, it's been in place since the school was founded.” 

“What are you talking about? I'm a strong -- no, an ardent supporter of the ban,” Sousuke said calmly. 

Rin scowled at him for a moment before his face cleared. “I'm glad to hear it. It's always great to see upperclassmen like you step up and be an example to others. If you don't mind, Yamazaki, I want to issue an extra special challenge, just for you.” 

Sousuke trained his bright, suspicious gaze on Rin, who gave him a toothy smile. “What is it?” 

“You can’t fantasize about me either,” Rin said with a smug smile. “Or anyone or anything else, but… I _know_ you. And if you can do it, I’ll break the ban and fuck you after regionals.” 

“And how will you be able to know if I haven’t…?” 

“On your honor as a member of the Samezuka swim team, you would _naturally_ tell your captain if you failed.” 

“You’ve let the power go to your head,” Sousuke said with a sigh. “But you’re on.” 

They shook on it. 

*

The thing was, once bound, alphas really weren’t designed for celibacy. Rin wasn’t sure if his relationship with Sousuke counted as being bound, but wasn’t nothing. It didn’t feel like nothing. He thought about sex more often now that he wasn’t allowed to have it than he had done when he had been. This put him on the edge. The whole team was on the edge, even younger members like Ai. 

The only one who seemed wholly unbothered was Momo -- and Sousuke.

Momo’s reasons was pretty simple -- as he explained cheerfully, “Gou-san will wait for me!” Rin whacked him around the head with a rolled up sheet of paper for mentioning his sister’s name in such a lewd context. 

As for Sousuke… that annoyed Rin to absolutely no end. The bastard! How could he just go along like it was _nothing_ , like he wasn’t _bothered_ at all -- like he didn’t _miss_ \-- Rin took a deep breath. He should be happy that Sousuke had risen to the challenge. That meant the the ban was actually working, and that was good for the whole team. 

He saw Uozumi, the last one coming in, and frowned. Practice was starting and still no Sousuke. “Uozumi!” Rin shouted. “Where’s Yamazaki? Did you see him outside?” 

“I don’t know where Yamazaki is, captain!” Uozumi shouted back. “Shouldn’t you know? Since you’re -- er, _roommates_?” 

“Are you trying to undermine me, Uozumi? I warn you, I won’t stand for it! Get in line!” 

Sousuke didn't show up for practice at all. Afterward, Rin went over to the faculty advisor’s office, wondering if he ought to report it, but that wasn’t necessary. He was told, briefly that Sousuke was excused every Wednesday afternoon until the end of the the year, excluding tournament days.

“Excuse me, sir, but why?” 

He shrugged. “It came to me through the administration. They didn't see fit to tell me, so I'm not able to tell you. Ask your friend himself if you're curious.” 

*

Sousuke came back to school late in the evening. Rin was doing homework at the desk as Sousuke came in. He didn't look up when Sousuke came to him and leaned down to him.

“I thought about you today,” Sousuke said, with no preliminaries whatsoever. 

Rin leaned forward, interested. “You broke the ban?” 

“Yes,” Sousuke said, stripping off his clothes. 

“Tell me what you thought of,” Rin said, putting his pencil down and leaning against his chair. He looked up to see the upside down vision of Sousuke looking down at him, face unreadable. 

“If you had presented as an omega, I wonder what I would've done,” Sousuke said, rubbing the bottom of his lip thoughtfully. 

Rin felt his face grow hot, his heart began to pound his chest. He looked away, and said a little brusquely, “We wouldn't have been allowed to room together. Too risky.” 

“Yeah,” Sousuke said, and his eyes sparkled with dark mischief. Rin found himself staring back, wanting to keep this fantasy going, strangely titillating as it was. But something stopped him. He had to know. 

“So, where were you this afternoon?” 

Sousuke pulled back from him as he'd been slapped. He said nothing right away, but when he did, his voice was flat, lifeless. “I had a previous engagement. You can check with the faculty adviser -- it's been excused.” 

“I _did_ check with him. He said he didn't know where you went.” 

“It's not important.” 

“If it's so unimportant, then why did you miss practice?” 

“Swim practice isn't the beginning or end of my existence, Rin.” 

Rin flushed and said, “What the hell, Sousuke! What's gotten into you?” 

Sousuke began to dress again, pulling on seemingly random bits of clothes on in his haste. He grabbed his bag and muttered that he was going out. That left Rin furious and puzzled. He felt like he was missing some vital piece of information, something that Sousuke was too stubborn to share. 

*

When Rin finally did force the truth out from Sousuke, he was predictably devastated, he couldn't believe this was happening. In between the heartbreak and tears, however, the back of Rin’s head was ringing alarming bells, dragging up each and every instance that he had touched, squeezed, clutched or at any way hurt Sousuke’s shoulder and he could think of too many examples of what he had done. 

When Sousuke told him that he didn't want to see him cry, Rin’s eyes filled up on cue. _I'm the worst captain, the worst friend and the worst lover Sousuke could ever have_. 

“No, you aren't,” Sousuke said, and his voice was so warm and fond that Rin thought he would begin to cry anew (not that he was crying in the first place, no way) but instead he lurched forward, blindly, until he was clutching the front of Sousuke’s jacket. Their lips met for a moment, hesitant, before Rin pushed forward, deepened the kiss. Sousuke had to know he loved him, didn't he? Swimming or no, he loved him. 

He was babbling this into Sousuke’s ear, _I love you, I love you, I love you_ , but he wasn't sure if Sousuke heard or if Sousuke agreed, if Sousuke loved him back. 

There was a question on his lips, Sousuke kissed it away. 

Then Momo and Ai came up to them, and the relay loomed large. He couldn't let Sousuke compete, it would irresponsible, selfish, no matter much Sousuke insisted on it. All of them, Sousuke, Momo and Ai, were looking at him with pleading eyes and Rin found himself breaking and saying _yes._

*

After regionals, Sousuke was in hospital for a few days after his emergency surgery. Rin thought if he kept busy, if he didn't think about it, he would do fine. He didn't. Throwing himself into training only helped so far, and then stopped. He couldn't overdo it, not with such a drastic example to look upon. 

Without meaning to, Rin felt angry at Sousuke’s parents for letting this happen, for his former coaches at Tokitsu for not spotting the signs of it earlier, for Sousuke himself for pushing himself until his body broke.

The hospital visiting hours were short, so Rin deputized Ai as his lieutenant and went over to see Sousuke. He felt a little stupid, trudging down the halls with his arms filled with flowers and a shark plushie, but some of the nurses did smile at him when he went by. 

Sousuke was sleeping when Rin came in. But he cracked his eyes open as soon as Rin approached his bed and watched him through blue-green slits. He looked rough, smaller in his hospital bed than he had for the entire time Rin had known him as a high school student. Rin left the flowers and the plushie with the rest of the flowers on Sousuke’s side table. He leaned forward, his hands clutched to the hand guard. 

“How much time do I have until your mom comes back?” 

“She just left to get lunch. Maybe an hour?” 

Rin leaned in and kissed him. Sousuke’s lips were chapped and dry, but felt so good that Rin deepened that kiss, and felt Sousuke gasp against his mouth. 

“Someone might come in,” Sousuke said, pulling away. 

“I don’t give a shit,” Rin growled and Sousuke frowned at him. 

“You _should_ give a shit. Do you think you’ll get scouted if it’s known that you’re in a relationship with another alpha? Some sponsors won’t even take meetings with you, they’ll say that they have traditional values… I won’t allow myself to get in your way, Rin.”

“Why do you always do this?” Rin said, frustration building in his veins. “Don't sacrifice yourself for me! I need you, but I won't -- I won't let you do it!” 

“Rin…”

“We’re going to swim together, I know it…” 

Sousuke leaned against his pillow. He looked tired; the skin under his eyes looked bruised.

“I should let you rest,” Rin said, finally, stepping back. 

“Rin,” Sousuke said, holding out a hand to him. Rin stepped forward and took his hand and pressed it against his mouth for a moment. 

“Tsh, what are you doing,” Sousuke said, trying to sound scornful, but he was smiling. 

*

It was amazing how quickly you could dismantle a life. Rin kept most of his things, the stuff he couldn't take along with him in his travels, at his mother’s house. This included trophies and medals, boxes of clothes, gear he couldn't take but also didn't want to give away. All together, the sum of things he had accumulated in two years at Samezuka was enough to fill two boxes, plus his luggage. He taped the last of them shut and looked up to see the door open. He was expecting Ai to come in and offer him help with moving, but it was Sousuke who stood there instead. 

Sousuke’s parents had come by earlier to take his things and after an awkward set of reintroductions, Rin had thankfully been dismissed from their company. Rin actually thought Mrs. Yamazaki was quite cool, running her own catering business as she did. Her eyes were the same shade and shape as Sousuke’s -- it was odd to see those eyes on another person.

Sousuke’s father had never been fond of Rin. Perhaps he suspected something that was going on between them. Or, more likely, he thought Rin, with his long hair and girly name, was not a proper companion for his son. 

Thankfully, his son seemed to disagree. 

“Are you finished here?” Sousuke said. 

Rin left his tape and his scissors on the box and threw himself into his bed. “I'm hungry,” he said, feeling a little pathetic. “And the cafeteria’s closed by now.” 

“We can go out,” Sousuke offered, but half-heartedly. Rin crooked his finger at him, beckoning him closer. 

“We don't have time for this,” Sousuke warned him, coming closer, inexorably drawn to him, it seemed. 

Rin gave him a toothy grin, sharp and biting. “So stop wasting time and come _here_.” 

It was hard to cram them both into the bottom bunk, but Rin was determined to do it. They fit against each other pretty well, in fact, like they were meant to be at such close quarters. 

Sousuke came into his bed and pressed himself against Rin.

Rin had been gentle with Sousuke ever since his boyfriend returned from the hospital. He knew that Sousuke noticed, and he knew that Sousuke minded, although not so much that he commented on it. Until then, that was. When Rin placed a careful kiss on his bad shoulder, Sousuke’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. 

“It’s not made of glass,” Sousuke muttered, not looking at Rin.

Rin pulled closer to him and said, “I hate that I was hurting you all that time. I wish I could --” 

“You weren’t,” Sousuke said, suddenly fierce. He looked at Rin then, his eyes blazing. “I wanted you to do it, all of it. I didn’t want you to see some broken alpha who can’t do anything anymore. I wanted you to see me.” 

“I see you,” Rin said, a little shaken. “And you aren’t broken. I believe what I said -- your shoulder can be healed and I _will_ wait for you.” 

Sousuke breathed out, a little shakily. “Rin, you’re crazy. I love you for it.” 

“I hope that’s not the only reason,” Rin said, swiping his thumb over Sousuke’s mouth. Sousuke’s tongue flicked out and pressed against it for a moment. Their eyes never left each other. 

“No,” Sousuke admitted. More seriously, he said, “You owe me something, I think, since I couldn’t be there the night of regionals.”

“That stupid ban,” Rin said with a groan. “I never should’ve enforced it.” 

“Well, yeah, since you weren’t able to hold up your end of the bargain…” 

“Asshole. Do you want to -- still?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

When Rin considered their present situation, it kind of was. 

*

There were condoms and a bottle of lube in the inside pocket of Rin’s backpack. He had put it there out of an excess of optimism rather than any concrete plan. He didn’t really know how to go about it -- he’d seen porn, of course, but that usually was between an alpha and an omega. He knew that alphas wouldn’t produce their own slick -- thus the lube -- but he sat in between Sousuke’s legs, trying to figure it out. 

“Do you know where to put it in? Should I draw a diagram?” Sousuke’s voice was low, but tinged with amusement. 

Rin flushed and muttered, “Shut up.” He lowered his head, gripping Sousuke’s thighs hard, and began to suck him off. That was easy -- he was experienced with that, liked to do it, liked the taste of Sousuke, heavy on his tongue. Even better was the effect of it on Sousuke. Amusement was replaced by preoccupied lust, his eyes were hooded and he gasped out Rin’s name so sweetly that it was a pity, really, when Rin pulled away. 

Sousuke followed him, hand reaching out but Rin caught it and kissed it, his mouth wetting Sousuke’s fingers. “I need to get you loose,” Rin said, squeezing a copious amount of lube on the palm of his hand and letting it get warm. 

Rin thought he could probably spend the whole day just leisurely fingering Sousuke until he cried. Sousuke looked like he was almost to that point already. 

Except -- “I'm ready,” Sousuke told him, teeth gritted. 

“Don't be stupid, I'm not going to hurt you.” 

“You're not hurting me.” 

“I won't, because I'll take my time.” 

“Rin,” Sousuke said with a deep sigh. “We only have a few hours left before we have to get out of here. If you don't hurry, we’re going to be interrupted by some loud kid any minute now.” 

“You always know how to get me hot,” Rin said with grin, kissing the curve of Sousuke’s jaw. Sousuke sighed again him, wrapping his big arms around Rin’s waist. But that sigh turned into a gasp as soon as Rin pushed in. 

Rin knew he wouldn’t last long -- how could he, when Sousuke felt so good, so tight, so warm around him? Experimentally, Rin thrust against him, and pulled back, surprised by the give. Sousuke pinched his side and hissed at him to keep going, and so he did. 

He hated not being good at something, but that was what practice for. 

Practice made perfect, after all. 

“Rin,” Sousuke said, gasping as he hit something in him, “do _that_ again.” 

(And so he did.) 

*

It wasn't surprising, really, the second after Rin finally pulled out, panting and waiting for his knot to go down, he felt Sousuke push against him. “What?” Rin said, blinking, and he saw Sousuke raise his fist to his. “Oh!” 

They fistbumped.

There was so much to talk about, so much that needed to be said. Rin didn’t want to fall behind again, get the trap of not talking to Sousuke about things that mattered. They had to think about what do after graduation, how they would stay together. Rin wouldn’t allow them to separate again. 

Rin sighed and nudged Sousuke, who was sleeping for some reason -- wasn’t Rin the one who should be tired out? Unbelievable. 

“What?” Sousuke said, sounding grumpy.

“I'm still hungry,” Rin said, and his stomach grumbled as if on cue. He couldn’t plan the future alone or with an empty stomach. 

“Then go get some food. Let me sleep.” 

“I'll race you for it,” Rin said, getting up. Sousuke pulled Rin’s pillow over his head. “C’mon, _Sousuke_. I’ll play you for it -- you win, I’ll go, I win, we’ll both go.” He stuck out of his fist and Sousuke finally started to pay attention.

(And of course, Rin won.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta, Elleth! 
> 
> Credit for the idea of Sousuke being an alpha who preferred alphas goes to a nonnie on FFA, whose conversation I dememed last month because I was so thirsty for some SouRin content. It was such an irresistible idea that I wrote, like, a bunch of words for it. 
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts about this fic, or any of my fic. Kudos are lovely too. ♥ 
> 
> Come over to my Tumblr, [havisham](https://havisham.tumblr.com/), and shout about SouRin with me.


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